Teacher Xu Yanping was transferred to the school recently as the city tries to balance resources between schools in the city and rural areas.

Xu says that the school dropped the old scoring system of evaluating academic performance, and now uses grades ranging from A to D so both children and parents don't attach too much importance to scores.

But for newcomers, which are mostly migrant children, teachers delay their evaluation.

"Children of new citizens usually lag behind their classmates when they first come here," she said. "So we give them enough time to adjust to the new environment and help them fit into the class."

Wang Yuxuan, a 10-year-old from Northeast China, has been at the school for three years.

"I'm happy to be here, because I learn many interesting things," he says. "Many of my friends in my hometown don't have those opportunities."

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